In this joyous holiday season , our best and brightest natures come to the surface. We give to others easier, we care for others more, we help others more. However, there is a group of wonderful animals that this holiday has truely caused greif for. Having a family pet can be a wonderful and fullfilling experiance, but please be wary! Puppies and kittens do not often make good pets, especially for first time pet owners. I implore you to please only get a "christmas puppy" for your own family if you know that your family is ready for the responisibility. Far too often, young eager christmas puppies end up in homes that, while well-meaning, were not quite equiped to tackle training, vet bills, chewed shoes, bathtimes, hyper activity, teething, etc... I have seen so many teary-eyed families who just cant handle a puppy return the poor little pup back to the shelter a few months later, now older and possesing behavior problems from lack of proper training. This almost surely sentances them to a long stretch waiting in the shelter for an experianced owner who likes "problem cases," or worse. Please, if you are a new or novice dog owner, please reconsider getting that puppy, and please never ever give pets as presents to friends who may not be able to handle the responsibility. If you can handle the responsibility and are ready for the joys, and ocassional headaches, of adding another special member to your family, I urge you to please think about visiting the dog shelters first, they often have many sweet faces looking for a good home and the shelters have reasonable prices as well and wonderful animals. If you absolutly must go to a breeder, do your research! There are some very reputable breeders who have good lines and treat the dogs well, and some who dont. Ask a lot of questions, any good breeder will be happy to answer them for you. And never, EVER go to a pet store for a puppy. Although many times they will have a clean surface, there is the stench of a puppy mill if you dig down deep enough. Even our own pet store is associated with Lambriar Inc. which ships them TRUCKLOADS of puppies (literally, a large truck stacked and stacked with cages from collection spots all over the country). Lambriar has a clean website with re-assureing simple words, but if you keep digging you will get to the truth. Please, buyer beware. Be a smart shopper and an informed pet owner. Have a happy holiday season, and dont forget to keep your pets warm and happy indoors during the cold winter months! Thank you.

11/22/09So, I found a horrible petition today trying to encourage people to buy pet reptiles. I wont go into much detail, but here is the messatge i sent to her (who btw was a pet-store owner):"I have to respectfully disagree with your petition. Reptiles CAN be great pets, this true, but ONLY in the hands of people that can truely care for them. Like any exotic pet, they require special care that most people (the average joe or josephine) can NOT afford and does not even bother to learn about. I cant tell you how many cases I have come across to prove this point. For example, a woman was keeping a 7 foot Iguana in a 8 foot by 5 foot tank with one heat source. The animal couldnt even turn around and had horrible mites all over its body. The woman saw nothing wrong with this, saying "oh he does'nt move much anyway." Obviously, we confiscated the animal. I run into people keeping dangerous reptiles (alligators, croc's, venomous snakes and lizards, etc.) all the time, often not realising what kind of danger they are putting themselves in. I came across a man who was keeping a deadly black mamba (that he had bought illegally off the black market, thus perpetuateing the awful black market, which not only sells live wild cought animals but also kills hundreds and sells the parts too) in a tuperware container! Not to mention the HORRIBLE repercussions of the exotic pet trade on the natural populations of thease animals. For example, Ball (royal) Pythons are popular "begginer" snakes. Out of the thousands taken from the wild each year and shipped world wide, over half die in transit. After that, the numbers are over-halfed again when the wild animals die of diseases. Out of the 3 or 4 that survive to the pet store, hundreds upon hundreds had to die. And dont get me started on the impacts of invasive species! I agree, reptiles are beautiful and wonderful animals with an calm and sweet nature, but they deserve to be repected and allowed to thrive naturally. Not just to be pawns for human enjoyment. Please enjoy them from afar and take down this misleading and ill-informed petition. Thank You. "Feel free to send me a amessage with your thoughts. :)

I am currently a Biology Graduate and a full-time zookeeper. I am also a member of DogsDeserveBetter.com and host the annual Chain Off event in my town. I would like to branch out and do more to support the critters that most people take for granted. I have an extensive background in 4-H, Animal Shelter Work and Rescue and vetrinary care (as a vet-tech assistant). I grew up on a farm in upstate NY, and have been working with and for animals my whole life.

Most humans need more education and more empathy twords the creatures we share this home with.

What Gives Me Hope

My fiance. Obama. The little girl at work one day who learned how much like her pet dog she really is (both mammals, endotherms, etc...). She made that connection and understood why we as humans should care about all living things. If a child can do it, then why cant most adults?

If I were Mayor, I'd make the world a better place by

Become a dictator with an iron fist and mandate breeding regulations for humans, MUCH stricter penalties for horrendus crimes against all animals (humans included), stricter adoption policies for would-be pet owners, get rid of all factory farms, puppy mills, animal testing labs, pet stores (esspecially thoase that promote sale of invasive species and "harvested" species) and Kentucky Fried Chickens (etc...).

What/who changed my life and why

People: My aunt Kisha (www.nakisha.com). My college proffessor Doc Irwin. The first dog I tryed to rescue, she was put down because of her breed.